The Trials we go Through
by Bravo Tango
Summary: (Fantasy AU) Nico was lost when she saw two stars that shined brilliantly in the night. Nico wanted to keep them, but Fate has other plans.


**Hey guys it's me again and another inspiration hit me. It kinda sucks that they are random, but I can't stop thinking about it unless I write it down. And so here it is.**

 **Note: This will be in a historic setting with some fantasy sprinkled in.**

"Talk" — Speech

 _'Blah'_ — Thoughts

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Love Live! School Idol Project.**

* * *

Nico breathed in the morning air as she closed the door behind her. She looked around and saw trees everywhere. She picked a certain direction, shouldered her pack, and started walking. She is living in the forest with a cabin. Or at least it should be one; but it was the best a 14-year-old girl can do. The forest was is next to the sea, where a port city was built. Nico would sometimes watch ships come and go.

Nico walked along the path, _'Should I find food first or go train?'_ A bush rustled in front of her, prompting her to freeze. She crouched and hid behind a tree. _'Hunting it is.'_ After a few moments, a rabbit bounced out of the bush. Nico pointed her finger at the rabbit and a small gust of wind formed at her fingertips. She released the needle of wind toward the rabbit. It pierced the head, killing it instantly. Standing up, Nico walked over to collect her kill. After securing her food, she set off on the path. _'Let's go train.'_ _  
_

She made it to a small clearing in the forest. There were holes and slash marks on some of the tress. Some of the markings looked sloppy while others seem more precise. Setting down her belongings, she walked in front of a a tree. _'Alright, new goal: cut this tree in half.'_ Holding her arm across of her, Nico concentrated. Again, wind gathered around her hand. Releasing her breath, she swung her arm across. A shallow slash mark appeared on the tree. _'Damn, this might take longer than I thought.'_ Nico prepared her stance to do the motion again.

 _Some time passed..._

Nico is now panting with sweat all over her body. The cut is more than halfway through the tree. _'Alright, I got this.'_ Preparing for another strike, she heard a rustle on her left. She swung her hand toward the sound. But because she lost focus, the attack just become a strong gust of wind. Nico recovered and shouted, "Come out! I know you're there."

A few seconds of silence, then two figures stood up and walked to the clearing. Nico took a moment to study them. They are both girls and seem to be the same age as Nico. They are wearing expensive-looking dresses, but there seems to be some dirt marks and small tears. Looking up, one girl has blue eyes and blonde hair. The other girl has teal eyes and purple hair. _'Pretty.'_ Nico shook her head and focused on the situation. "What are doing here?"

"Umm..." The purple trailed off, looking at her blonde-haired companion.

Taking a look at their clothes again, Nico deduced, "Are you lost?" Both of them nodded their head. Sighing, she lowered her hand and walked to the area where she left her bag and food. She gathered them up and looked behind her shoulder, "Well? Are you coming?"

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 _Nico's travesty of a cabin_

Nico sighed as she plopped down on her makeshift bed. After escorting the girls to the outskirts of city, she went to a pond near her home and cleaned up. After the wash she skinned the bunny cooked the meat. _'Well, today was interesting. Kinda wish to see them again and know their names.'_ Unfortunately, they didn't say much of anything; They would answer either yes or no to her questions. Nico closed her eyes and began to sleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 _A week later..._

Nico was ecstatic; she was able to cut down 3 trees in total. _'This is great. Maybe I can make something out of the wood._ _But how am I going to carry them?'_ Lost in thought, Nico didn't hear footsteps coming into the clearing. "Ahem." Nico turned around and saw it was those two girls again. But it seemed they are wearing clothes suited for traveling. "Oh hey, it's you two."

"Uh, well, yes it is us." Blonde responded.

Nico raised her eyebrow, "Well aren't you chatty."

This time the purple-head answered. "Well, it was a shocking event for us on that day. We apologize if we offended you."

Nico shook her head. "Naw, it's all good." Nico walked up to them. "The name's Nico..." She paused, then looked at the wood. "Nico Cutter. What's yours?"

The blonde girl answered. "I'm Eli Carter."

"And I'm Nozomi Mercer."

"It's nice to meet you Eli, Nozomi." Nico started to walk to her home. "Let's talk in a better spot than here."

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 _Cabin Area_

"So," Nico started, "How come you girls came back?"

Nozomi and Eli looked at each other, then back to Nico. Nozomi started, "We wanted to thank you for showing us back to home."

"Hey, it was no big deal, but you're welcome. Anyway, what got you there in the first place?"

Both of the girls flushed a little red and Eli answered, "W-well, we were curious about the forest and wanted to explore, but we got lost. After a while we took a rest and saw you enter the clearing."

"I'm glad that we got lost since we get to see something amazing." Nozomi chimed in.

"Huh?"

Eli joined in. "Your powers, it was simply amazing. But..." Eli petered off, hesitantly looking at Nozomi.

"What is it?"

After getting a nod from Nozomi, Eli continued, "There was a reason why it took so long for us to come back. At first, we were confused as to what happened. Because my father owns the ship trading company, there have been incidents of people who have powers like yours. Those people were capture and were executed."

"Executed?!"

Eli raised her hands to placate Nico, "We didn't tell anyone, we swear! We decided to help you like you helped us."

Nico raised her eyebrow, "Not to be mean or anything, but why help me?"

This time Nozomi answered, "It's because you actually talked to us."

"Talk to you?"

"Because my family owns the markets around the city, not many people would willingly talk to us; they do not wish to offend my family or suffer the consequences. But you cared enough to help and tried to talk to us." Both of their eyes drooped, "It gets lonely for us when people avoid us and our families keep us in a cage. Our family didn't even question where we were when we got lost for hours; they assumed we were in the city."

Nico's chest throbbed painfully seeing them like this; she wanted them to smile. Looking up at the trees, she swiped her hand, making leaves fall. Startled, Eli and Nozomi looked up. Concentrating, Nico kept the leaves levitating and circling around them. They both gasp in wonder and smiled at the spectacle. Nico ended the show by collecting the leaves into a pile.

"Both of you look very pretty when you smile." Eli and Nozomi blush and averted their eyes. Nico giggled, "Tell you what, you girls are free to come visit me anytime you want. Don't expect anything 'cause I don't have much."

Nico loved the way their face lit up. "Thank you!"

"No problem."

Nozomi was hesitant, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you obtained your powers?"

Nico sighed and her shoulders drooped.

Nozomi waved her hands. "Ah, you don't have to answer. We were just curious."

"Naw, its' okay, it was bound to happen." Sighing, Nico prepared herself. "I used to live farther inland about two or three years ago. I was the only kid living with my mom and dad. My dad would hunt for the food and my mother was the one to cook it. We lived out in a forest just like this one; it was peaceful life." Nico stood up and started pacing around.

"Are you alright? You don't have to continue." Both of them were concerned for Nico.

"No, no. I need to do this, more for my sake than anything else. It happened out of nowhere; there was a huge fire roaring around during nighttime. My dad and mom tried to get me out, but we were trapped. The fire surrounded us and I fainted from the smoke. When I woke up, everything was burned; I couldn't even find my mom and dad." The girls gasped and tears welled up in their eyes. Nico continued, "I was so lost without them. It hurts so much and I ask myself, 'why am I still alive?' But I had to fight, to struggle and live for them. The only thing I could find was my mom's necklace. With nothing else, I picked a direction and started walking. Through the years, I survived thanks to what my mom and dad taught me. They're still watching after me even when they're gone. Looking back, I didn't realize that the ground around was untouched by the fire. The time I realized I had powers was when I was chasing food. I reached out my hand and something invisible came out, killing the deer. And so, I traveled and struggled to where we are now."

Eli and Nozomi's face were stained with tears as they listened. Coming from rich families, they didn't do much of anything by themselves. They try to wipe their tears, but it won't stop.

Nico looked over and sighed, "Hey, it's in the past."

Nozomi's mouth open.

But Nico continued, "I guess if there's one thing good that happened..." Nico smiled warmly, "I got to meet you two."

 _Ba-damp._ They both felt something deep in their chest when they saw her smiling face.

Nico waved her hand. "Enough about my past, Wanna see more tricks?"

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 _Four years later..._

Time flew by fast whenever they meet up together. Over the years, they planned and finished many projects. Eli and Nozomi would bring over books and taught Nico how to read and speak more eloquently. After that, they remodeled the cabin and added furniture in it. Nico noticed that if she trained her body, her skills with her powers increased. It also helped when Eli and Nozomi suggested ways to use her powers. Nico realized she can't depend on them all the time, so she makes an earning doing odd jobs. She would sell fur and extra meat from the animals she killed. She would also sell wood on rare occasions to avoid suspicion; it would be too odd to see a girl selling clean-cut wood. Nico found out that she has a sweet-tooth when her friends brought over candy. Once she popped the sweet delicacy in her mouth, she couldn't get enough.

Nico grew into over the years. She is a little taller and her hair has grown out. Her hair was in twin-tails tied by ribbons she got as a gift from Nozomi and Eli. But she wasn't the only one to change. After puberty, Eli and Nozomi grew into gorgeous women. They also got out of their shell and became less formal, especially around Nico. They would joke and throw nicknames at each other.

Today, Nico is a little nervous today; this day is the anniversary of when they first met. She is pacing around the cabin, holding a box in her pocket. She stopped when she heard footsteps near the door. Running over and pulling the door open, she smiled. "Nozomi! Eli!"

"Nicocchi."

"Nico."

Nico waved them in. "Come on in." They walked in and sat at the couch. Nico walked and sat on a chair opposite of them "So how was your day?"

Eli answered first, "Not much; went a little shopping, met up with Nozomi, and we walked here."

Nozomi nodded her head, "Same thing here Nicocchi."

Nico chuckled, "Wow, that sounds kinda boring." Nico saw that the both were holding onto something. "Oh? What's that on your hand?"

Eli said, "Oh, this is a little something to celebrate the day we met." Both Eli and Nozomi opened their hands to show that they were holding bracelets. Eli's bracelet has a slim rectangular gem on one side. On the back, there was an E engraved in. Nozomi's bracelet was similar in design; the only difference is that her color was turquoise and the letter was a N. They both walked over to Nico and slid their gifts on both of her hands.

Nico raised her hands and inspected them. "They're really are beautiful. Thank you, Eli, Nozomi." Taking out the box, she coughed once. "Anyway, I got something for you dorks. Hold out your hands." Confused, they followed her instructions. Nico opened the box and concentrated on her powers. Two rings levitated out the box and floated toward Eli and Nozomi. The rings slid into Eli's left pinky and Nozomi's right pinky. They gasped and took a closer look at the ring. The rings gave a red tint when the sun reflected on it.

Eli was the first to recover. "Nico, is this...?"

Nico nodded. "Yes, the gems are from my necklace. I split the gem in half and molded it to fit into the rings." Nico walked over and held onto their hands. "That gem was a memento to remember my parents. It became something precious to me as time went on. But the both of you changed my life for the better. I don't what could have happened if we didn't meet on that day. And so I decided to show how precious the both of you are. Please, stay with me as long as possible."

"Nico!"

"Nicocchi!" They both shouted and jumped to hug Nico. "Yes, we will stay with you."

And so, they brought out food and drinks to celebrate this wondrous day. When the sun was setting down, they said their goodbyes and left. Nico laid down on her bed preparing to sleep. _Today was great. I hope we can do more in the future.'_

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 _The next day_

Nico woke up to someone banging on the door. _'What the? They're here early.'_ Pulling the sheets off of her, Nico rose up and walked to the door. Opening the door, Nico groaned, "Did you girls for—"

A fist flew and landed on her nose, knocking her down. "What the hel—"

A knee slammed into her stomach cutting off her cry. "Shut up and stay down you fucking witch!" Nico opened her teary eye and saw a man over her. The man dragged her out. A group of men rushed into the cabin and started trashing the place.

"Noo. whatr'e doing?" Nico slurred.

The man punched her in the gut, shutting her up again. The group put everything valuable in a pile. One of the men lit a torch on fire and threw it into the pile.

"NOOOO!" Nico threw her head back, crunching the man's nose. Nico used her powers and pushed the man 10 meters back. The group noticed her and charged out. In her rage, Nico conjured up all of her powers, creating a tornado. The men all dropped to the ground, hoping not to fly off. Everything was being picked up and sucked into the tornado. Nico didn't notice that both of her bracelets flew off into the tornado. One of the men was able to crawl to Nico and grabbed her legs. The man pulled, making Nico lose focus. With the tornado gone, everything she owned flew in all directions. The man reared his fist and threw a punch at her temple.

Darkness overtook Nico.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 _Port City_

Eli opened her eyes and yawned. She slowly rose up and got out of bed. She cleaned herself up and picked a simple dress. After eating breakfast, she walked out of the house to meet up with Nozomi. They had planned to meet at the market square to buy a sweet for Nico.

Eli saw a flash of purple among the bustle of shoppers. She cupped her hands around her mouth, "Nozomi!"

Nozomi turned and smiled at her friend. "Elichi." She walked to stand in front of Eli.

Eli asked, "Did you find anything Nico might like?"

Nozomi shook her head, "No, but—"

Some commotion at the center of the square interrupted them. Eli turned to a passer-by and asked, "Excuse me, but do you know what is going on?"

The man turned to her. "Oh miss, I heard that a group of the city's guard found a witch in the forest. She gave a tough fight but the guards were able to capture her."

Eli turned to Nozomi, both of their faces turning pale. Eli grabbed her hand and ran to the center. They gasped at the state Nico was in. She was tied and dragged in chains. One of her eye is black and there is a bruise on her cheek. She seems to be limping on one leg.

"Nicocchi." Nozomi whispered.

People among the crowd started to shout at Nico. "This is what you deserve witch!"

"Good riddance."

"Did you really think you can hide from us?!"

"Burn her!"

Eli had to restrain Nozomi and herself from ripping the man's jaw off. "Come on," Eli tugged on Nozomi's sleeve. "They seem to be going to the courthouse. Let's go." They tried to think of a way to save Nico. But no matter how hard they try, nothing comes to mind.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 _Courthouse_

Nico felt sore all over her body. Nico looks down at the chains tying her down at the pedestal. ' _I can cut this.'_ Nico looks up and watches as people flood into the courtroom. Her eyes widened when Eli and Nozomi walked in. ' _Shit, did they find out about them?'_ Before she could formulate a plan, the judge walked in and sat down on the chair.

"Nico Cutter, you have been accused of witchcraft, what say you?"

Nico straighten her shoulders, "I never asked for this."

The judge remained impassive. "Very well. We will now hear from the witness."

A man walked in to stand one a pedestal. The judge said, "Young man, state you name, occupation, and testimony."

The man stuttered, "Y-yes your Honor, I'm John Booth and I'm an apprentice to an herbalist for three months. It was last week when I saw the witch. I was out in the forest to look for medicinal plants for my master. It was then that I saw her cut a boulder in half." Murmurs broke out among the crowd.

The judge was curious about a detail in his story. "Why did it take so long and told the guards what you saw?"

The man trembled, "I-I was scared of what might happen to me. But, I gained my courage when I saw two ladies walked out of the woods. I was scared what the witch might have done to them."

Eli and Nozomi were shocked; they indirectly caused this situation.

Nico's mind was in turmoil. _'What should I do? If that judge continues his questioning, Eli and Nozomi might get called out.'_ "Tch, you got lucky kid; you saved this city. I was planning to sneak into this city. But I needed to know everything there was about this place. I mind controlled those ladies to give me information. With the knowledge, I would have taken this city and wreaked havoc."

The crowd was getting riled up and fear was palpable. Eli and Nozomi were confused as to what Nico is doing. But they realized what she is doing.

 _'No, don't do this Nico.'_

 _'Nicocchi, please.'_

Nico threw her head back. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Congratulation boy! You saved not only the ladies, but also this city. You're a hero, boy! Now just die like one."

John grasped his throat, gasping for air. People started screaming and running toward the exit. A guard raised his staff and plunged the tip into Nico's stomach, breaking her concentration. John fell to the ground, taking in lungful of air.

The judge slammed his hands down on the table. "ORDER! Order in the courtroom! Guards, take him away." He pointed at Nico, "And you. With irrefutable evidence of witchcraft, your sentence is ... Death. The sea will take you for your sins."

Nozomi and Eli saw several emotions swirling in Nico's eyes. Nico was relieved that they are safe. She was happy that they are clear of any suspicion. And she was sad that she broke her promise.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 _Near the port_

Nico stared down at the sea as her reflection stared back. Her ankles were chained with a boulder to ensure her 'passing'. They were in a ship that Eli's father volunteered for this execution. It seems only the rich people get to witness this moment. Eli and Nozomi were in the back and off to the side of the ship. Their hands were clenched white and tears threatened to fall.

Nico smiled, "Come on, smile. I know that things haven't gone the way I wanted to. I wish that I could've spent more time, but I won't forget the times I spent here. Two stars came into my life and changed me. They shined so brilliantly that I wanted them for myself. So! Smile for me, won't you?"

The crowd just assumed that witch has gone crazy. But Eli and Nozomi knew those words were meant for them. And so, they smiled back for her.

The captain ordered one of his men, "Push her." The man was about to climb up but a gust of wind pushed the man down. The guards drew their weapons.

Nico crossed her arms into an X. "Hey, all of you bastards pushed me around and sentenced me to death. I didn't want this power, but all of you are just scared to even understand me. If there is one good thing about this mess, I will choose my own death." Taking one last look at her stars, Nico slashed her arms out. With the plank cut, Nico plummeted into the cold sea. With her conscious fading, she realized an important detail.

 _'Ah, you girls are so unfair.'_

Just as Nico fell, she saw their mouths moving. While she didn't hear it, she understood what they said.

 _We love you._

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Nooooo, Nico plz. Anyway, what an intense piece this was. Inspiration took a weird turn for me. I mean I was reading _The Crucible_ and re-watched the Avatar: The Last Airbender. These two mashed together and this came into fruition. So I picked a medieval setting where fear could spread easily. Nico, would be the first 'real' case of 'witchcraft.' I apologize for the direction this story, but the inspiration said no.  
**

 **As always, construction criticism is always appreciated.**

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Bravo Tango out.**

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Waves crashed into the sand as the moon hangs overhead. A figure popped out of the water gasping for air. She let the waves take her land. Once she was close enough, she crawled the rest of the way into the beach. A chain link connected to her ankle trailed after her, but it seems to be cut halfway. The person collapsed onto the sand and rolled to her back. Before darkness overtook her, a thought surfaced, _'Who am I?'_

A sapphire and turquoise gemstones was beside the person's head. They twinkled under the twilight of the moon.

 _Fin...?_


End file.
